Interview with action adventure novelist Robert “The Hook” Hookey

Today’s special author guest is Robert “The Hook” Hookey and we’re chatting about his new action adventure, Into the Dark: Book One of the Infinite Crossover Crisis.

Bio:
The Hook is the author of one million critically-acclaimed novels – in his head.

Into The Dark: Book One of the Infinite Crossover Crisis is his first attempt at committing one to paper/computerized medium.

He hopes you enjoy it. (But if you don’t… please keep it to yourself.)

The Hook lives in the bustling metropolis known as Niagara Falls, Canada, with his wife, daughter and a houseful of pets and ghosts. (Seriously, their dwelling is over one hundred years old and is occupied by several spirits, most of whom are friendly and respectful of boundaries.)

Please tell us about your current release.
I’ve been a nerd all my life, and comic books have literally gotten me through some of the darkest days of my childhood, of which there were many. And so, when this nightmare of a pandemic hit and I was laid off from my job as a Niagara Falls (the side where we get our milk in a bag) bellman, a job I’ve held for over twenty years, my lovely bride pushed me to finally create my own superhero universe. My daughter designed a cover for me, so this really was a team effort.

The Infinite Crossover Crisis series takes place in a world we’re all too familiar with – and one glaring exception: it’s a world with superpowered individuals, ancient beings and all manners of supernatural creatures thrown into the mix, even clones of a Nazi super soldier.

Picture The Boys crossed with The Cabin in the Woods and go from there.

What inspired you to write this book?

I lost one of my best friends to suicide in 2017 and I’ve never shed the weight of that loss. My grief/guilt is something I’m processing through this series. Plus, I get to totally nerd out and drop hundreds of pop culture references and completely indulge my not-so-inner-geek.

 

Excerpt from Into The Dark:
Dr. Death’s howls were intense enough to be heard over the splashing animated piranhas, the wolf with a taste for (mostly) human flesh and a pitched skirmish between an African American vampire and genetically engineered Nazi foot soldiers.

Speaking of the aforementioned vamp…

It had only been a few minutes; nevertheless, Taurus had already finished off the clones, though he was a little worse for the wear. I had planned on making a hero’s entrance by taking out the last of the Copycat Nazis (okay, I never did come up with a good name for the suckers), but fate intervened. I fell on my ass after slipping in what seemed to be a river of scientifically generated blood. As it turned out, my friend didn’t need any help.

“Nazi blood makes me gassy and has no nutritional value. I need to feed,” Taurus informed me as he rose up after dispatching his last opponent.

He used a scrap of clothing taken from said opponent to wipe the artificial hemoglobin from his mouth – and to vainly try to do the same to his gray GOT tee – as he headed into an open room.

“Hang on, T,” I cautioned as I got back on my feet. “Don’t forget most of these people are nothing more than brainwashed drones.”

“Fine,” he responded. “You and Cartoon Network in there can make it the rest of the way on your own.”

“Everyone else should still be out cold so just take a little from a lot. But make it quick, okay? And trust me, she’s more like Adult Swim.” I really wasn’t in a position to argue. I certainly didn’t like the idea of my vampiric brother draining the Dusk’s staff, but again, I was forced onto a single path from which there was no deviating.

I turned back to the observation room while Taurus loaded up on plasma only to be met by Agatha, who was carrying… well, there is no way to put this without being blunt. Agatha was carrying an animated bright orange Halloween pumpkin basket, complete with a grin as wide as Wyoming. However, instead of candy, it was filled with the brain of a heinous scientist.

A blood trail behind her, Agatha made her way to the remaining working elevator. She didn’t wait for me; after decades of imprisonment, she was a free woman on a mission. She didn’t even slip; the woman had been in a telepathic-induced stupor for decades and she didn’t suffer a single misstep.

Taurus finished his plasma repast and joined us. He let out a boisterous chuckle after taking one look at Agatha as we boarded the lift.

“I love white people,” he roared. “Now let’s go kill some more Nazis!”

 

What exciting story are you working on next?
I’m working on bringing the sequel to Into The Dark to life. Into The Grey will expand the story and the cast of characters to include several public domain superheroes. I’m especially excited about Dan Garret, who started life as the Blue Beetle (he’s not exactly Spider-Man, but he has tons of potential). Dan Garrett is owned by DC Comics, but the version with one “t” is available for any writer to utilize, though he can’t be the Blue Beetle. So I’ve made him the Blue Atom.

The trick with any sequel is to maintain the momentum you’ve bult with the original and build on it. Now all I have to do is keep building momentum with Into The Dark, which is no easy feat, admittedly. But I’m committed – and some days I feel like I should be…

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
The day I started my blog. It began as a place to vent my frustrations as a Niagara Falls bellman toiling away in the hospitality trenches, but it evolved into a more creative space. Eventually I transferred some of my posts into a book. The Bellman Chronicles was a critical and personal failure, but in the end I learned from the experience and became a better writer.

Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
These days I’m still laid off, as Canada is way behind our American cousins in recovering from this nightmare, so I should have plenty of free time to write and promote my first book.

But I have a family.

To be clear, that’s not bad thing, but it means I have to balance family time, household chores, and little mini emergencies that pop occasionally and consistently with my writing. And to say it’s not easy is to suggest Donald Trump had a quirk or two as president. I try to get up at 7am each day and write/network for a few hours before the rest of the household arises.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
It wasn’t deliberate but I started to delve into real world details about objects that figure into my stories. So, when you read about the specs of the world’s fastest private jet or the deadliest bullet ever designed (the Radically Invasive Projectile, or RIP bullet, uses machined copper-tipped bullets to make multiple penetrations into a target, including the main body of the bullet, creating up to nine different wound channels) you’re getting an education while (hopefully) being entertained.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Batman. But only because he was a rich orphan. (My childhood was less than ideal, obviously.)

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I’ve discovered that the hardest part of being an indie author is mastering the art of self-promotion, so I really hope people can spare a few minutes of their time to check out my work. Into The Dark features superheroes and that may initially turn some people off, but if you look at the current crop of popular book series, movies, merchandise, streaming and cable television shows, it’s clear that the superhero/fantasy/offbeat genre is only growing stronger.

My writing style is conversational. My characters may have extraordinary abilities but they’re as real as you and I. Give Into The Dark a chance and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

Links:
You’ve Been Hooked! | Observations from the trenches…. (Blog) | Into The Dark: Book One of the Infinite Crossover Crisis (Facebook) | The Terrible Hook (Twitter) | Into The Dark: Book One of the Infinite Crossover Crisis (Kindle)

Thanks for being here today!